Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Some of the most influential books in my life were introduced to me when I was just a little girl. They were the first ray of light into the dark tunnel of my imagination and they've stayed with me through the years, informing me about all the books I'd come to love over the years. Here's a list of my favorite middle grade novels, some from my childhood and some from my second childhood (let's face it, I'll never grow up). 1. Watership Down by Richard Adams

2. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

3. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

4. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit

5. Doll Bones by Holly Black

6. Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt

7. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

8. From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

Friday, September 13, 2013

Let's face it... I'm a little lazy. I'm not a member of the 5 a.m Writer's Club. I don't crank out thousands of words a day. In fact, some days pass where I haven't typed a single word. But if Malcolm Gladwell has taught me anything, it's that to be an expert, I have to put in the hours. I have to put my butt in that chair and WRITE!!! Enter Victoria Schwab and her brilliant video...

One trip to the office supply store, two packages of shiny stickers, and a new calendar later, and I'm newly inspired. Who knew that I basically had the same motivation as a preschooler? But hey, as long as it works...

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Come visit my website, The Freckled Kate, and check out my most recent illustrations. I'm still adding new work regularly, so check back soon to see what's hot off the press. And if you're in the market for new web art, blog banners or custom illustrations, send me an email and I'll give you a quick quote.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Yes, you heard me right... I have another book deal!!! I'm so excited to announce that I've accepted an offer from Bloomsbury Spark to publish my YA dystopian novel, DELIVER ME (Spring 2014). Finally, DELIVER ME has found a home, and I couldn't be more excited to get the chance to work with the fantastic Meredith Rich!My rock star agent, Kerry Sparks, finalized the deal today (which, I have to point out, was her LAST day in the office before maternity leave). The timing was perfect. And here's the announcement from Publisher's Marketplace:

Kate Birch's DELIVER ME, in a dystopian society governed by
people who are determined to create the perfect race, for the first time in her
life a girl has a choice to make: submit to the will of the Union, or find a
way to save her best friend before she is lost forever, to Meredith Rich
at Bloomsbury
Spark, for publication in Spring 2014, by Kerry Sparks
at Levine Greenberg
Literary Agency (World).

I'm so excited to get to introduce another cover from one of my publishing sisters, Kendra Highley. Today Entangled Teen Ember is revealing the cover for SIDELINED. Coming
out this September!

On to the
reveal!

Blurb:

After being
pushed to excel her entire life, high school basketball star Genna Pierce is
finally where she wants to be. University scouts are taking notice, her team is
on its way to the state tourney, and Jake Butler, the hot boy she's daydreamed
about since ninth grade, is showing somedefinite interest. When he
asks her out and their relationship takes off, Genna believes things can't get
better.

Then, it's over.

A freak accident ends her career before it's even begun. Her parents are
fighting more than ever, her friends don't understand what she's going through,
and she's not sure who she is without basketball. And while he tries to be
there for her, Genna doesn't understand how Jake could ever want the broken
version of the girl he fell for.

Her life in a tailspin, Genna turns to the only solace that eases her pain:
Vicodin.

Kendra C.
Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves
as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the
cats, is her most critical job. She believes in everyday magic, extraordinary
love stories and the restorative powers of dark chocolate.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Today, we're celebrating the cover reveal of Allure,
the sequel to Lea Nolan's Conjure, coming October 1st from
Entangled Teen!

Worst. Summer. Ever.

Emma Guthrie races to learn the hoodoo magic needed to break
The Beaumont Curse before her marked boyfriend Cooper's sixteenth birthday. But
deep in the South Carolina Lowcountry, dark, mysterious forces encroach,
conspiring to separate Emma and Cooper forever. When Cooper starts to change,
turning cold and indifferent, Emma discovers that both his heart and body are
marked for possession by competing but equally powerful adversaries.

Desperate to save him, Emma and her twin brother, Jack, risk
their lives to uncover the source of the black magic that has allured Cooper
and holds him in its grip. Face with the horror of a soul-eating boohag, Emma
and Jack must fight to resist its fiendish power to free Cooper long enough to
join their strengths and face it together, before it destroys them all.

"If there is one book teens and adults should have on
their must read list, Conjure is it! Fans of young love and adventure will
hurry to the end of each chapter, in anticipation of what will happen next.
Unfolding at an easy pace, this tale is magical and spellbinding. Nolan is one
to watch!" ~ RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ Stars Top Pick

"Conjure is a sweet, adventure-packed romp for young
teen readers... There are pirates, lost treasure, curses, and ancient curses,
chases, narrow escapes, and secret letters galore." ~ New York Journal of
Books

"This is an unexpected read: exciting, dangerous,
adventurous - everything we want from a good book. Yet Nolan puts that creative
twist on all the elements, making Conjure something special. Conjure is
recommended, 4 out of 5 stars." ~ Teen Librarian's Toolbox

About the Author

Lea Nolan couldn’t read until the third grade. After a lot
of hard work she finally got the hang of it and quickly learned the best way to
get out of doing chores was to tell her parents she was reading. Soon she was
hooked, devouring books by Roald Dahl, E.B. White, Judy Blume, C.S. Lewis, and
anything with a shiny Newberry Award sticker on the cover. Books provided a
portal to enchanted lands where anything was possible and characters relied on
their wits to wiggle out of sticky situations. Today, even though she’s all
grown up, Lea writes the kinds of stories she sought as a teen--smart
paranormals with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists,
plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She holds
degrees in history and women’s studies concentrating in public policy and spent
fifteen years as a health policy analyst and researcher. She lives in Maryland
with her heroically supportive husband and three clever children, who’ve
figured out how to get out of doing their chores.

About Me

My life is full, overflowing. I'm a painter, a writer, a mother, a procrastinator and a daydreamer. Maybe there isn't time to fit it all into one life, but I'll keep trying. DELIVER ME (Spring 2014, Bloomsbury Spark), PERFECTED (Summer 2014, Entangled),
Represented by Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg.